Authorities are flagging a fire that destroyed a vacant house on Elmira's Near Westside as suspicious.

The blaze erupted shortly after midnight Thursday in the house at 371 W. Gray St. By the time crews from the Elmira Fire Department were able to extinguish the flames, the roof of the house was gone and much of the inside was gutted.

Crews demolished the house Thursday evening after it was deemed a safety hazard.

In the meantime, investigators haven't identified what caused the fire, but they do know where it started.

"We think it started in the basement, in the center of the building," Fire Chief Joe Martino said. "With this type of construction, (the fire) finds a wall and can run from the basement right to the attic. Flames were already showing through the walls when we got there. It rapidly spread through the building.

"It's safe to say it's suspicious due to the fact that it was a vacant building," Martino said.

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This vacant house on West Gray Street in Elmira was heavily damaged in an overnight fire.(Photo: Jeff Murray / Staff photo)

The call came into the Elmira Fire Department around 12:45 a.m. Thursday after a passerby noticed flames, according to city Fire Marshal Dan Lutz.

It took crews several hours to extinguish the blaze, Lutz said.

The house was built around 1880, according to Beth Farr, executive director of the Near Westside Neighborhood Association.

Chemung County foreclosed on the property and sold it at a tax auction in March.

The new owner is American Capital, of Elmira, according to the county Treasurer's Office.